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UNCLAS NEW DELHI 004095 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY CAPTION 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KIRF KISL PHUM ENRG IN
SUBJECT: DEHI DIARY, AUGUST 31-SEPTEMBER 7 
REF: 06 NEW DELHI 8243 
 
¶1.  (U) Below is a compilation of political highlights from 
Embassy New Delhi for August 31-September 7, 2007 that did 
not feature in our other reporting, including: 
 
-- Chennai Yawns through New President's First Visit 
-- Playing the Muslim Card:  Congress Prepares for Possible 
Mid-term Elections 
-- MEA to Establish an Energy Security Division 
-- Snapshot Report:  Photo Fatwa 
 
Chennai Yawns through New President's First Visit 
------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The gulf between north and south India was on 
display when new President of India Pratibha Patil received a 
tepid response during her first official visit to Chennai, 
August 31-September 1.  "Poor response" was one newspaper's 
characterization of the public reaction to the visit, which 
featured a dinner hosted by the Governor of Tamil Nadu at 
this official residence, and functions at the Rajiv Gandhi 
Memorial and Rajiv Gandhi Foundation in nearby Sriperumbudur, 
where the former Prime Minister was assassinated. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Although the Government of Tamil Nadu, led by Chief 
Minister Karunanidhi and other ministers, turned out in good 
order for the Raj Bhavan event, the function was perfunctory. 
 The President and the Chief Minister, whose only common 
language is English, appeared not to converse at all when 
they sat next to each other at dinner.  The dinner and 
preceding cultural program lasted only a very brief (for 
India) 90 minutes, and ended before guests could be served 
their tea and coffee. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) In sharp contrast, Patil's predecessor, Abdul 
Kalam, who has returned to his native Tamil Nadu, continues 
to make a series of very popular appearances and lectures. 
Indeed, at the same time President Patil was receiving 
"feeble applause" at her event, elsewhere a crowd waited 
patiently for two hours to cheer Kalam, "the people's 
president." 
 
Playing the Muslim Card:  Congress Prepares for Possible 
Mid-term Elections 
------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-led 
government is insulating itself against possible Muslim 
backlash stemming from the Central government's increasingly 
cozy relationship with the United States.  In March 2005, the 
government set up the Sachar Committee to study the social, 
economic and educational status of Muslims in India.  The 
results and recommendations were introduced in the Indian 
Parliament in November 2006 (reftel).  Based on these 
recommendations, the government presented the Action Taken 
Report (ATR) to Parliament on August 30. 
 
¶6.  (U) The ATR identified 338 towns in 90 districts that 
lacked basic civic amenities and stifled opportunities for 
the Muslim population.  To rectify this, the report proposed 
a number of attractive programs that encourage easier access 
to credit, education and other basic services, including 
self-employment ventures for youth and the opening of more 
branches of public sector banks in Muslim neighborhoods.  In 
addition, the ATR recommended opening more schools for Muslim 
girls, proposed a number of policies to increase Muslim 
literacy rates and suggested offering mid-day meals to 
madrassas, just as they do in public schools.  The ATR 
announced three scholarship schemes targeting minorities at 
different educational levels with a special focus on Muslim 
women and instructed banks to more quickly disperse loan 
cases.  States will be asked to ensure Muslims are more 
adequately represented in police stations.  Minority Affairs 
Minister AR Antulay announced that his Ministry will set up 
an Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) during the Monsoon 
Session of Parliament to examine the Muslim community's 
grievances and allegations of discrimination. 
 
¶7.  (U) Muslim and minority institutions welcomed the ATR 
recommendations.  Minister Antulay called it "a historic 
occasion and a historic statement."  Abdul Hameed Noumani, 
Secretary of the Muslim organization Jamait Ulema-I-Hind, 
 
SIPDIS 
commented that the announcement in the Parliament reflects 
the government's seriousness in implementing the Sachar 
Committee's recommendations.  However, many Indians correlate 
the government's attention to Muslim issues with the 
possibility of early general elections (currently scheduled 
for May 2009).  The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized 
the ATR as an attempt by the government to appease Muslims 
and is agitating the public opinion against the 
implementation of Sachar Committee recommendations.  BJP 
President Rajnath Singh called the committee's 
recommendations "discriminatory" and commented, the "UPA's 
lust for vote bank politics will result in creating an 
atmosphere of distrust and divisiveness in the country.  We 
are now moving towards communal based development expenditure 
and communal budgeting." 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Comment:  The Union Cabinet cleared the ATR in May 
2007, but it was not presented to the Parliament until 
August, suggesting that the UPA government was waiting for 
the opportune time to curry favor with India's large Muslim 
population.  Growing ties with the United States has been 
unpopular in many Muslim circles.  With possible elections 
around the corner, this move could help the government woo 
the much-needed Muslim votes to come back to power - 
especially in states like Uttar Pradesh where they have lost 
their vote bank.  While announcements have been made to 
ensure developments in the social, economic and educational 
sectors, the government has steered clear of including Dalit 
Muslims as Scheduled Castes, and from carving out a Muslim 
quota within the larger Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota. 
 
MEA to Establish an Energy Security Division 
------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Media outlets are reporting that the GOI is 
planning to set up an energy security division within the 
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).  The division would 
reportedly "sensitize and assist Indian missions abroad" in 
identifying opportunities for Indian companies, maintain 
coordination with the ministries concerned and support their 
international engagement through appropriate diplomatic 
interventions, support the efforts of Indian corporations in 
acquiring energy assets overseas, promote the transfer of 
emerging energy technologies to India, and interface with 
leading energy security think tanks and experts in India and 
abroad on energy-related issues.  Comment:  This move 
reflects both the realization that energy security is a vital 
need for India, as well as Foreign Secretary Menon's 
initiative to restructure the MEA to reflect India's current 
needs.  End comment. 
 
Snapshot Report:  Photo Fatwa 
------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Dar-ul Uloom Deoband's new fatwa banning 
photography, saying it is unlawful and against the Shariat, 
has created a flutter in several Indian Muslim communities. 
Interestingly, the Islamic seminary, located in 
Muzaffarnagar, has made it compulsory for students to affix 
their photographs to admission forms.  Further, the fatwa's 
timing is noteworthy as 100,000 Indian Muslims are preparing 
for the Haj pilgrimage and must travel with passports and 
photos.  Meanwhile, a member of the Shariat Court and 
President of Uttar Pradesh Imam Organization acknowledged 
that, despite being illegal under Shariat law, photos cannot 
be avoided in all situations.  The ban likely applies to 
photographs during marriage ceremonies, social functions or 
for commercial use.  Like other fatwas that appear 
incongruent with modern times, overexposure within media 
circles may focus public criticism on the growing disparity 
between conservative and progressive Muslim communities. 
 
MULFORD